


Blue Eyes, You're the Secret I Keep

by nonbinarynica



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, F/M/M, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, mer!Sora - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-12-26 00:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18272072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinarynica/pseuds/nonbinarynica
Summary: In the waters surrounding Destiny Islands, there lives a colony of merpeople. One of them, Sora, has spent his entire life watching the humans from a distance - and imagining that maybe they're not as bad as his kind have been led to believe.Riku and Kairi are best friends who have grown up together dreaming of one day sailing off together to explore what lies beyond their island home.A chance meeting between the three makes Riku and Kairi realize they are not alone, that there is a whole other world beneath the surface of the waves, and as acquaintanceship leads to friendship leads to something more entirely, their shared secret becomes harder and harder to keep.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever Kingdom Hearts fic. I wanted to go with something nice and simple as far as an AU goes, and I wanted to also play around some with the Sora/Riku/Kairi dynamic. Hope you all enjoy it ♥
> 
> Fic title is taken from the song "Blue Eyes" by the Cary Brothers.
> 
> Also: a special shoutout to the following people for working with me to help this story become what it is: Gabby, Ryan, and Martra. You three helped me so much on this journey with your feedback and your patience, I couldn't have asked for more or for better assistance in turning this story out. Thank you so much, and all the love to the three of you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scene is set; we meet the main trio for the first time - and Riku and Kairi meet Sora.

_“The surface world is a dangerous place, Sora. Humans are wretched and vile creatures who pose nothing but a constant threat to themselves and those around them. You must never go anywhere near the shoreline, for if they were to discover you they would capture and harm you. Do you understand?”  
  
_  
_“But-”  
  
_  
_Sora’s mother smiled, soft but wary, peering down at her son. “Listen to me, my love. Humans are not to be trusted. You are safer here in these depths than you are up there.”_

 

~

 

 _“Hey, Kairi.”  
  
_  
_“Yeah?”  
  
_  
_Riku paused for a moment before answering. “What do you think is out there? Beyond the islands? What do you think the rest of the world is like?"_

_Kairi glanced sideways at the older boy. “... I don’t know,” she replied. “But I bet you’d like to find out, huh?"_

_Riku’s response was accompanied by a grin. “I’m going to, one day. When I’m older I’m gonna sail off and explore everything else out there.”_

_"... Can I come with you?”_

_“What?”  
  
  
_ _“Can I come with you? I wanna find out, too.”_

_They were best friends by now, Riku thought, the two of them. He didn’t have it in him to say no. Instead he smiled at Kairi. “Yeah. You can come with me. It’ll be just the two of us, sailing and exploring once we’re old enough. And no one is gonna stop us.”_

_Kairi giggled, making Riku’s grin widen. “I like that plan.”_

 

_~_

 

The humans had no idea he existed. No idea there was a whole colony of beings like himself living in the waters surrounding their island home. While curious at heart, and always, despite his mother’s warnings, having had the mindset that maybe not all humans could possibly be as evil as they were said to be, Sora had always been careful not to ever let himself be seen or found out. As he was always cautious when swimming near the main island, the fishermen in their boats were oblivious to the humanoid creatures that lived in the nearby waters - and to the one of their kind, in particular, who liked to swim closer to the surface of the waves. Sora liked the sunshine too much to let himself stay in the depths all the time. He enjoyed the warmth on his skin, the light that radiated from the sun; it drew him to the surface as much as his intrigue towards humans did, and he kept this a secret from his family and colony mates. Not even his brothers knew; Roxas and Ventus because a selfish part of Sora wanted to keep the trips to himself, and he knew them well enough that they would want to join him, and Vanitas because he was wary of Vanitas giving away the secret.

As he aged over the years, and reached his respective teens, Sora’s curiosity towards humans only increased. How he managed to keep his treks to the surface a secret from everyone else was beyond him; he would have figured, by now, that someone would have found him out. But they hadn’t so far, and he was free to continue his adventures. One of his favorite spots was a shallow bed of water that contained a large cluster of rocks a number of yards from one of the local beaches; it was here that he could hide in plain sight and let his curiosity get the best of him to watch the humans from afar.

There was a boy, with silver hair and turquoise eyes, and a girl with red hair and eyes a similar shade of blue to Sora’s own. They were around Sora’s age in human years, and were always seen together. The first time Sora ever saw them, the silver haired boy was racing in the sand with some others, laughing and bragging about how he was the fastest. And the girl, she watched with fond eyes. Sora supposed they were friends, with the way they interacted with both each other and the others on the beach - two other boys, and another girl. The boys raced, or fought with makeshift wooden swords, or wrestled, and the girls sat and watched, cheering them on, or braided each other’s hair, or read books. Sora did not know any of their names. But he enjoyed watching them; even if from a distance, it made him feel like a part of their lives - albeit an unknown part of it.

 

~

 

“My dad wants to teach me the fisherman’s trade.” Riku dropped his school bag beside Kairi’s, hopping up to seat himself on the wall beside her. Kairi turned her gaze to him, blue eyes curious. “Says that since we’re not kids anymore, I need to start contributing to the family income.”  
  
“When do you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

Kairi looked back out at the ocean, swinging her legs to kick absently at the wall beneath them. “Hmm… are you excited?”  
  
“Yes? No? I don’t know. I knew this day was gonna come once I turned seventeen, but. This means I won’t get to spend as much time with you and the others at the beach after school. I’ll be at the docks a lot of the time.”

“Well.” She reached to tuck a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. “It honestly sounds exciting, if you ask me. You get to be out on the open water, at least - and, hey.” She nudged him. “That’s the closest you get to living out that dream of ours. Right? The closest you get to actually getting off the island.”

“I suppose that isn’t so bad. Still.” He leaned back, propping one leg up to rest his arm against his knee as he gazed out at the water. “... I haven’t thought about that dream in a long time, you know,” Riku said softly after a moment, and Kairi glanced sideways at him.

“Don’t tell me you forgot?” She poked him in the side, playful. “You promised we’d go together, you know.”

“Hey!” He squirmed away from her reach. “I didn’t forget. I just.. the thought hadn’t crossed my mind in a while, you know? I guess we’ve been too busy actually… growing up. But don’t worry, Kairi - I said I’d get us out of here one day, and I will. I intend to keep that promise. Okay?”

“Hmm… okay. And in the meantime you’ll be a fisherman.”

He smiled. “And in the meantime I’ll be a fisherman.”

 

Three days passed, turning into a week, turning into two weeks, and just as he’d told Kairi Riku was spending more and more time at the docks and out on the ocean than he was with her, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. Sure, it wasn’t quite the same without him in their little group of friends, but they made do. About three months after Riku had told her about his new responsibilities, just a few days after summer vacation had started, he invited Kairi out with him to watch him fish for the first time without his father. And of course she wasn’t going to turn him down. It would be just the two of them, and she’d missed his prolonged company.

 

The docks were crowded with people and boats, and Riku waved Kairi down to his boat - a small but sturdy fishing boat with the name _Way to the Dawn_ painted on the side - and he grinned at her as she approached. “You ready to go?”

“Of course!” She beamed at Riku. “You gonna impress me with your fishing skills?” Kairi teased as he helped her up onto the boat.

“Please. I always impress.” The two exchanged a look, and Kairi started laughing. “It’s true!” He protested, and Kairi stopped her laughter long enough to give him a gentle smile.

“Come on, Riku. Let’s go catch some fish.”

 

~

 

The start of summer, and summer itself, was Sora’s favorite time of year. The waters were warmer. The sun shined brighter. The world seemed more open and inviting. Really, it was just enough to tempt him to go swimming out to where no fishermen were that day. Save for one…

 

~

 

“So.” As they sailed out to find a spot for Riku to cast his net, he glanced over at Kairi. “How are the others?”

“Oh, you know. Selphie is happy go lucky as always. Tidus and Wakka still wrestle. I swear, we all might be growing older but they’re not growing up,” Kairi joked. And then, after a beat, she added “we all miss you.”

“I miss you guys too,” Riku said quietly. “Especially you.”

  
Kairi flushed. “I especially miss you, too.” She met Riku’s eyes, and he reached to take her hand, squeezing gently.

“I promise I’ll try and balance out my time between work and spending time with you guys again. Okay?”  
  
  
Kairi laced her fingers between Riku’s and squeezed in return. “Okay.”

Holding her gaze, Riku lifted their hands and pressed a soft kiss to Kairi’s knuckles, causing her already flushed cheeks to darken. He smiled before letting go, moving to grab the net. “I think we’re far enough out that it’s a good spot.”

“Can I help?”

“Sure. Come over here and help me cast the net?”

“Okay.” Kairi slid out of her seat and knelt beside Riku, helping him lift it.

“On the count of three, we cast it over and let it settle. Ready? One, two, three-”

 

Sora wasn’t prepared to find any fishing boats in this area at this time, much less a single one, and he made sure to stay under the surface as he swam closer to - cautiously - investigate. As soon as he got close enough, though, he was shocked at a net being cast over, and he quickly turned to dodge it when his tail got caught, and he jerked and twisted to try and free himself - only tangling himself further, and he gritted his teeth in pain as the net rope cut into his scales. _Shit_ \- he twisted again, moving his hands to grab at the ropes, try and untangle them in time, grimacing all the while-

 

“Hey, I think we caught something!” Kairi pointed at the net, which was being jerked around, and Riku’s eyes widened.

“Whatever it is, it’s huge… look at the shape in the water…” he hurriedly moved to pull the net up, groaning at how heavy it was.

 

Sora felt himself being pulled up, and immediately felt panic seize him. No, no no no no no no no, he couldn’t be found like this - couldn’t be found at all, he shouldn’t have swam out this far, why did he have to swim out this far? He thrashed and struggled, kicking his tail and twisting his torso, anything to get out of the net before he was pulled into the boat-

 

Whatever - or, rather, _whoever_ \- they had caught breached the surface of the water, and Kairi gasped while Riku nearly dropped the net in shock. Whomever this was, he was humanoid but with a tail instead of legs, colored a deep black and speckled here and there with a combination of red and blue scales that shimmered in the sunlight. “What the…” Riku murmured, and the newcomer snapped his head up to look at him - and he froze suddenly, blue eyes widening.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio have their first conversation between the three of them; Kairi is in awe, and Riku is, to quote Kairi, "dumbfounded".

It was the boy and the girl he’d seen on the beach so many times prior, and Sora went still, breathing erratic as he stared at them and they stared back. None of them spoke for several moments, no sound but the call of the seagulls overhead and the gentle lull of the waves on the water. And then the red haired girl spoke. “What… are you?”

Sora turned his gaze to her, blue eyes meeting blue, and he tilted his head. Of course they didn't know. None of the rest of their kind was aware of his existence, and he'd never gone out of his way to alert these two to his constant, albeit distant, presence in their lives. He didn't answer her question, though, just squirmed some in the net. “Can you cut me loose?”

 

Riku’s jaw dropped. He spoke? A few more seconds and the fish-guy was frowning up at him.

 

“Do I need to repeat myself? Cut me loose, will you? This rope stings.”

 

Riku fumbled for his pocket knife, immediately dropping to a crouch to cut the fish-guy free. As he did so, a part of him considered his father's disappointment that he was damaging the net, but he decided it was worth it; better a damaged net than an injured person. Fish. Fish-person. His head hurt from the thought, and when the fish-guy was free, Riku took a step back and watched as he sat up on the floor of the boat.  
  


“Thank you.” Sora truly was grateful, and he looked up at the pair. “... Um. So this is awkward. I wasn't planning on being spotted, much less getting caught.” He gave a sheepish grin before it vanished as he met the redheaded girl's gaze again. “You asked me what I am. I don't think there's a word in your language? Unless I'm wrong.”  
  


Kairi thought for a moment. When she was little, her grandmother had told her a fairy tale about a fish-woman in love with a human prince, who'd traded her tail for legs to walk on land and be with him. “... Mermaid?”  
  


Sora scratched the back of his neck. “Sure? Though I think it would be more like merman?”

 

Riku was still reeling, trying to wrap his head around the concept that this guy was _real_. And in _his_ boat.

 

Kairi continued. “We've… never seen one of your kind before. If there are more of you, that is. Can we get your name?”  
  


He hesitated. Names held power, his father always said. Still. “... Sora.”  
  


“Sora.” She smiled. “I'm Kairi, and the guy staring at you dumbfounded is Riku.” She elbowed Riku in the side, and he cleared his throat.  
  


“Yeah. That's me.”  
  


“Riku. Kairi.” Sora glanced at the water, then back at them. “It’s nice to meet you.”  
  


“It’s nice to meet you too, Sora,” Kairi told him, and Sora hesitated before replying.  
  


“You're not going to tell anyone about me, are you?”  
  


“Why would we do that?” Kairi asked. “I mean, it’s amazing that you exist, but. If no one else has ever seen you - and believe me, we would have heard about it if someone had - I don’t think anyone would believe us if we talked about you. I mean, there are stories about beings like you, but they’re just that. Stories. Fairy tales, and all that. Myths. If we tried to run and tell someone that we found a merman- ”  
  


“They'd call us crazy.” Riku finished. God knows he was wondering whether he was dreaming, himself.

 

Humans were weird. On one hand, Sora couldn't believe that as a species they could be so closed-minded and believe they were the only superior beings in this world. On the other hand, though, he was relieved that his kind hadn't yet been discovered. A part of him also realized, as well, that Riku and Kairi hadn't actually _intentionally_ harmed him; when he’d asked for them to do so, they had set him free immediately, rather than keeping him captured in the net. And they hadn’t made any motion to harm him even now. That had to be some… _small_ indication of the nature of humans, right? Maybe his mentality that not all humans were evil was correct. And from their behavior, Kairi and Riku _seemed_ like decent people. “Alright.” Sora smiled slightly at the two of them. “I trust that you’ll both keep your word, and not tell the others I exist. I’m gonna go back into the water, now, and. Thank you, again, for cutting me free. You guys won’t regret it.”  
  


Riku couldn’t help himself. “What, do we get like, free wishes or something?” He asked, and Kairi bit her lip to keep from laughing - though now she was curious, herself, as to whether or not that was the case.  
  


“Not really, no. I don’t have any magic powers like that. I just mean that it’ll be good karma that you guys are letting me go, you know? What goes around comes around.”

 

With that, he grinned at them before pushing himself to the edge of the boat and hoisting himself to slide back into the water, slipping beneath the surface with a flick and a splash of his tail - and he was gone, swimming back to where he came from.

 

“What the fuck just happened?” Riku blurted out, turning to stare at Kairi with wide eyes. She chewed her lip in contemplation.  
  


“We can’t tell anyone, Riku. For starters, like we told Sora: no one would believe us, and secondly: we told him that we wouldn’t at all. We have to keep our word.”  
  


“Yeah, but… did that really just happen? I didn’t drink a shitton of seawater and go delirious, did I? I’m not imagining him?”  
  


She laughed. “No. I saw him, too.”  
  


“Okay. Okay. Cool. Cool."  He blew out a breath, then glanced down at the cut net before stooping down to examine it closely. “Well… my dad won’t be happy this is damaged now. I’ll have to think up an excuse other than Sora.”  
  


“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

 

~

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please know that Riku's line of "I didn't drink a shitton of seawater and go delirious, did I?" is one of my favorite lines I've written for anything, ever, and that even as the author it continues to crack me up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Immediately following the encounter with Riku and Kairi, Sora goes home and is immediately confronted by his siblings on his injury from Riku's net; the truth comes out, but not all of it.

When he arrived back at the colony Sora noticed his brothers all together, and  when he swam up to greet them Roxas glanced over. “Hey, Sora, haven’t seen you all day. Where’ve you been?”

“Out.”

“Okay, well- wait. Where’d you get that gash from?” He pointed at Sora’s tail with a frown, and Sora glanced at it.

“Oh. I… scraped my tail on a sharp rock.”

“Okay.” Roxas didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t press the subject.

 

Vanitas, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. “Sure you did.” Sora shot him a look, and the darker-haired brunet snorted. “Come on, Sora. You’ve always disappeared off to who-knows-where all these years, and you come back today injured and just expect us to believe it was you being clumsy?”

 

“That's what happened, Van. It’s no big deal. I scraped my tail on a rock, nothing to it. Okay? And besides, it's none of your business where I go.”

 

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Vanitas crossed his arms and held Sora’s gaze, even as the other glared at him.

 

“You know mom’s going to ask you the same question if she sees that, right?” Ventus broke the tension when he spoke up, and Sora turned to the blond.

 

“That’s why I’m not going to let her see it. And if she does? I'm telling her the same thing I'm telling you guys. Because that's what happened.”

 

“Good luck convincing her that’s the case,” Vanitas remarked. The other three still didn't look entirely convinced, themselves, but the conversation was cut short when Xion and Naminé swam over to join them - a temporary distraction for which Sora was grateful. The youngest of the five and the only girl, Xion was one of Sora's favorite siblings - and Naminé, her girlfriend, was smart, sweet, and creative, and got along well enough with Sora and the other three - even Vanitas.

 

“What’s going on?” Xion asked, sensing the tension between her brothers.  


“Nothing,” Sora said quickly, and Xion frowned.

 

“Sora’s hurt,” Ventus told her, and Sora shot him a look instead of at Vanitas. “What? She asked."

 

“I’m not hurt. It’s just a scrape,” he muttered.

 

“Don’t let mom see it, either way - you know how she worries,” Xion pointed out, and Sora let out a frustrated sigh.  


“I know. I’m gonna try and not let her find out.”

 

“Good luck with that.”

 

“That’s what _I_ said,” Vanitas told her.

 

“None of you tell her, either. And can we change the subject now? Please?” Sora asked, and the others went silent for a moment before Xion finally spoke again.

 

“Roxas, Hayner is looking for you. Says that he, Pence, and Olette found something in one of the nearby trenches and wants you to come see it. Didn’t tell me what it was. It’s probably old treasure, or something, knowing him.” She mused.

 

Roxas’s face lit up at that, and he hurried off to find his friends - leaving just Sora, Xion, Ventus, Naminé, and Vanitas. Vanitas cast a suspicious look in Sora’s direction before swimming off, and Xion, Naminé, and Ventus exchanged looks before glancing back at Sora.

 

“You know, you can tell us what really happened,” Ventus said quietly, and Xion nodded.

 

“I’m telling you guys, it was a sharp rock.” Sora made his tone as convincing as he could; he didn’t want to let them know about Riku and Kairi. He couldn’t.

 

Xion tilted her head at that, and Ventus frowned slightly.

 

“Come on, Sora, we’re your family. Why don’t you trust us?”

 

“It’s not that I don’t trust you guys. I do.”

 

“Then tell us why your tail is injured.”

 

He thought for a moment. Maybe he could tell the truth without including the bit about Riku and Kairi. “... Alright, fine. But if I tell you three, you _cannot_ tell the others. Understand?” The other three nodded, leaning in close to listen. Sora took a deep breath before continuing. “I was caught in a fishing net.”

 

Xion gasped, Naminé’s eyes went wide in horror, and Ventus’s frown deepened. “Are you serious?” He inquired, looking concerned, and Sora closed his eyes and nodded.

 

“I managed to escape before they pulled me out of the water and into the boat, but the rope cut into my tail.”

 

“Sora…” Naminé spoke up, looking anxious. “Where were you when this happened?”

 

He opened his eyes to look at her. “I was just a couple of miles from the island shoreline.”

 

That did it. The other three exchanged yet another look, and then Ventus narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. “Sora.”

 

Sora met his brother’s gaze. “I never go any closer than that,” he lied. “And it was the only fishing boat out there today.”

 

“That’s still one too many,” Ventus told him, and Sora frowned. 

 

“You sound like mom."

  
“I sound like her because she’s right. Humans are dangerous. You’re lucky you escaped with just a gash; you might not have escaped with your life if they had actually _seen_ you.”

 

"Yeah, well - I'm still alive, aren't I? Promise me you won't tell anyone else. At least not that it was a fishing net. Please." Sora looked at them imploringly. 

 

"...." The other three looked at each other, unsure.

 

"Please, you guys. Mom'll freak if she finds out the truth." Even if it was only half of it. "Promise me you'll stick with my alternate version. It was a sharp rock, okay?"

 

"That's a pretty big lie to go along with," Xion told him, and the other two nodded. 

 

 _You guys have no idea_ , Sora thought to himself, but out loud he replied "I know, and I wouldn't trust anyone else besides you guys to keep it. Please, I'm begging you - no one else can know."

 

"Fine." Ventus sounded uncertain even as he said it, and he felt horrible agreeing, but he nudged Xion. 

 

"Alright," she agreed as well, and Naminé also nodded. 

 

"We'll keep your secret," Ventus continued. "But you have to be more careful, Sora."

 

"I know. I will be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 posted on the same day as chapter 2?! YEEHAW


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much to both Kairi and Riku's surprise, the two are confronted about their relationship with each other - all while still keeping Sora a secret.

 

It had been six days since they'd accidentally encountered Sora, and Kairi was still starstruck by the idea of him. As she and Selphie did summer homework together, her thoughts wandered back to that day, imagining Sora in her head. With his brown hair, and blue eyes, he was kind of cute for a half fish, half person. And he was nice, too. A smile appeared on her face, and Selphie noticed it when she looked up.

 

“Kairi, earth to Kairi.” She waved her hand slightly in front of Kairi's face, and Kairi snapped out of her daydream. “You zoning out on me? What are you thinking about?” She asked, curious.

 

“Huh? Oh… nothing.”

 

“Uh-huh. You don't have me fooled. I see that look on your face. Are you thinking about Riku?”

 

“What?!”

 

“Come on, I know he took you fishing with him a week ago. Not exactly the most romantic, but I bet you two made it work just fine.”

 

Kairi's cheeks darkened as she remembered when Riku had kissed her hand. “It's not… hush, Selphie.”

 

“Oh! Something did happen!” A gleeful look crossed Selphie's face. “I knew it!” She turned to face Kairi completely, grinning at her. “Tell me everything.”

 

Well. Kairi couldn't tell her _everything_ , per se, but. She could tell her about Riku, at least. That would be safe. Right?

 

“Alright, I'll tell you,” Kairi started, and Selphie beamed at her friend. “Riku kissed my hand. Just a small gesture, really, I don't think it meant anything-”

 

“ _Kairi_.” Selphie stared at her, incredulous. “Are you kidding me? Don't you know how romantic a hand kiss is? It's even more romantic than a kiss on the mouth! He means business!”

 

“Honestly, Selphie, I'm sure it's nothi-”

 

Selphie cut her off again by taking Kairi's hands in her own, grinning widely. “I'm so happy for you both, you two would make _such_ a cute couple.”

 

Kairi stared at her. No, she and Riku were only friends. Right? He didn't like her like _that_. Even if she were to like him, he couldn't possibly feel the same way about her in return. It was only a gesture, that was all... right?

 

~

 

“You seem distracted, son.” Riku’s father fixed him with a concerned look, and Riku snapped out of his daze. He'd been deep in thought about Sora, about his and Kairi's meeting him six days prior, and he looked up at Gaku.

 

“I sort of am, yeah,” he admitted, and Gaku nodded.

 

“You've been distracted all week,” he told Riku. “Ever since you took Kairi fishing with you.” He smiled. “Did something happen?”

 

Riku blinked. Did his father know? How on earth did he know? “What do you mean?”

 

“Riku. You can tell me anything. Did something happen between you and Kairi?”

 

Oh. Riku thought for a moment. “... We said that we miss each other.”

 

“And?” Gaku prompted for him to continue. “Anything else?”

 

“We held hands?” He wasn't sure if his father really needed to hear this. “And I kissed her hand while we were doing so.”

 

“Ah.” Gaku clapped his son on the back, grinning at him. “I'm happy for you, Riku. Kairi's a good match for you.”

 

Riku felt his face heat up. “T-thanks?”

 

“Well, hey now.” Gaku's smile turned to a light frown. “You _do_ like her, right? You're not leading her on? That's a gentleman's move, Riku, kissing a girl's hand; you don't do something like that without intention behind it.”

 

“I know.” Riku said defensively. “She's my best friend, is all. And if I were to like her that way, I don't know how she'd feel in return.” Did he like Kairi that way? Did Kairi even like _him_?

 

“Well, did she reject the gesture?”

 

“No.” But as soon as Sora had shown up there hadn’t really been time for either of them to linger on it, either.

 

“There you have it, then. Next time you see each other, try asking her out. See where it goes.”

 

Riku thought for a moment. “You sure that's a good idea?”

 

“No harm in trying, son. Right? There's an old saying - you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Kairi is a wonderful girl, and as I said she’s a good match for you.”

 

".... Thanks," Riku said again, giving his dad a faint smile. Gaku supported his son no matter what, and while Riku was still unsure Kairi liked him in that regard it was still nice to know that his father approved of her as a person, regardless.  "That means a lot."

 

“Of course.” Gaku ruffled his son’s hair, just like when Riku was younger, and beamed down at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing these two scenes out, honestly. The concept of tapping further into Riku and Kairi's dynamic, and the thought of their friends and family looking at them and seeing what they're both evidently oblivious to, was just so cute to me I had to get it down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Kairi meet up again to discuss their having met Sora, and at the same time their feelings towards each other.

Two more days went by, with Riku and Kairi both dreaming of possibly seeing Sora again. For Riku, it was partially curiosity, and partially a desire to make a better impression other than “dumbfounded”, as Kairi had called him before. For Kairi, it was sheer fascination that Sora existed at all, and the curiosity to learn more about him. The two decided to get together in private again; Riku took his boat and took Kairi off to a small beach cove just fifteen minutes away from the main islands, and when they arrived they were relieved to finally be able to address their shared secret without anyone overhearing them.

 

The scenery helped them feel more relaxed while they were at it - the beach was pretty, and the weather was nice; the sky was dotted with a few fluffy white clouds here and there, and the sun was out shining brightly. Once the pair was settled and had sat themselves on the sand, Riku glanced sideways at Kairi and finally broke the ice. “Have you seen Sora since… you know. Since we met him?”

 

“No.” She shook her head.

 

“Me either. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it happened. Part of me is still in shock, and it's been on my mind ever since.”

 

“Same here.” Kairi hugged her knees to her chest. “I can’t stop thinking about it, you know?” A smile tugged at her lips. “I don’t think I’d mind it if… if we saw him again.

 

“Yeah? I’m thinking the same thing. That was… something else,” Riku mused, and Kairi nodded.

 

“Even if we never see _do_ him again, though, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that experience as long as I live. ” 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. I mean, come on, Riku - a living, breathing, merman. I thought his kind were only myths, you know?”

 

Riku smiled at that. “Me, too.” A beat, and he added “I know we said we wouldn’t; you haven’t told anyone else, have you?”

 

“No. Have you?”

 

“No. And I don’t plan to. My dad told me I was distracted when I was thinking about him, though, and asked me what was up.”

 

“What did you tell him?”

 

Riku was quiet for a brief second before answering. “I didn’t at all. He said that he’d noticed me being distracted ever since you and I had gotten back from that trip that day, and he asked me…. if something happened between us.”

 

Kairi blinked. “He what now?”

 

“Yeah. Asked if something happened between you and I.”

 

“Okay... ? And what did you say?”

 

Riku chewed the inside of his cheek, suddenly anxious about where the conversation was headed. “I told him we held hands for a moment.”

 

“Oh.” Kairi nodded, listening closely. 

 

He continued. “And that I kissed your hand. That was it, that was all I told him. Because that’s all that happened before Sora showed up.”

 

“Right.” Kairi thought about what Selphie had said to her. “... Can I ask you a question about that?”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Did you mean anything by it? When you kissed my hand?”

 

He hesitated. “... I think I did.”

 

Kairi’s eyes widened slightly. Was he serious? “Oh.” Was all she could say.

 

Riku felt himself start to panic. Had he said the wrong thing? God, if he’d just said the wrong thing; Kairi was his best friend, and if he was fucking things up between them - 

 

“That’s nice to know,” she said finally, a soft smile on her lips, and Riku blinked at her.

 

“What now?”

 

“I said that’s nice to know. I was confused, about what the gesture meant. I wasn’t sure… if I was just overthinking it. But, if you meant something by it… did you mean what I thought you did?”

 

“That depends on what you think I meant by it.” Riku couldn’t help but grin at her sheepishly.

 

Kairi responded by scooting closer, leaning in and kissing his cheek. “The same thing I mean by doing this,” she whispered, and Riku’s cheeks went bright red. “They’re the same, right?”

 

“I-” 

 

He was cut off by Kairi kissing him, gentle, tentative, a feather-light brush of her lips against his own, and then she was pulling away with a smug look at the expression on Riku’s face. 

 

He stared at her for a brief moment, at a loss for words as he realized then and there  _ oh shit, I  _ **_do_ ** _ like her _ , and he leaned in to press his lips to hers a second time. He had to, there was nothing else in that moment that Riku wanted or  _ needed _ more than to chase her for a second kiss. She had to know. He couldn’t go the rest of his life without letting her know how he felt about her in return. To his joy, she met him halfway, and in that moment there was nothing but the feeling of their mouths together, soft and pliant, the simultaneous sensation of warmth and happiness spreading through both their bodies, and the sound of the waves on the shore around them. As far as first and second kisses went for both of them, the moment was perfect. When they both broke apart to catch their breath, he rested his forehead against Kairi’s with a grin. “Sorry that took so long…”

 

“Just kiss me again.” She said, and with a chuckle Riku reached to cup the back of her neck to pull her in for yet another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you all know how difficult describing a kiss actually is? ... Harder than it sounds, that's for damn sure.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku gets caught in a summer storm; Sora has a decision to make, one that leads him to question all of his previous life choices.

Just ten days after Sora had been discovered by Riku and Kairi, he went out on a morning patrol with his mother. His tail had recovered in enough time that she hadn’t seen his injury, and he was relieved that he didn’t have to lie to her. His mother was one of the smartest people he knew, and even if Sora had used the excuse that he’d cut his tail on a sharp rock, Vanitas and Xion both had a point that she wouldn’t at all buy it.

 

As the two swam along, Aina glanced up towards the water’s surface. “There’s a storm coming,” she murmured, and Sora followed her gaze. Rays of sunlight were streaked through the water, breaking through the waves to reach them down below, and the sea was calm for now. Sora looked back at his mother.

 

“You think so?”

 

“I know so,” she said softly. “The first storm of the summer. It’s late this year, but it’s coming.” She turned her gaze to her son. “The humans might not be aware of it at this time. They’re not as adapt as we are, and I don’t think they’ve yet discovered a way to foretell the weather.”

 

Sora listened, thinking about Riku and Kairi. He wondered if they knew the storm was on its way, and whether or not they were getting ready for it.

 

Aina noticed the look on her son’s face and her brows furrowed. “Sora? What is on your mind?”

 

“Oh. Nothing. I’m just… thinking about what you just said, about how humans aren’t as adapt as us. But they’re at least a little advanced, right? They’ve got their own kinds of technology and stuff.”

 

“That’s true. But some of it might not be as advanced as it should be. If there’s anything you must know about humans, Sora, it’s that whether it be their technology, their politics, or their society, they will always be one step behind where they need to be. Remember this.”

 

Sora nodded, but that raised questions that he didn’t feel like bombarding his mother with at this time. If he wanted to learn more about human culture, he could just… track down Riku and Kairi, and talk to them again. Right? Learn from the source itself.

 

“You told me when I was little that humans were dangerous.”

 

“Yes. And I still stand by that,” Aina said softly. “Your father did, too.” Her expression and tone were both sad as she said this. Sora's father, Hakaru, had disappeared from their colony a few years ago, and had not been seen or heard from since. Not a day had passed without any of them missing him, and Sora hoped that wherever he was he was, he was safe at least; he was still holding out hope to this day that Hakaru was still alive. “I wish he were here, Sora. I miss him so much.” She smiled sadly at her son. “You look so much like him, you know that? You all do - but you and Vanitas especially.”

 

“I know.” Sora returned the smile with a more cheerful one of his own, hoping to lift his mother's spirits; he hated to see her looking heartbroken. It was a rare sight, but when such a phenomenon occurred it was one of his least favorite things. “And I think he'd be proud to see us all grown up like we are.”

 

“Yes, he would be.” She ruffled Sora's hair, looking a little happier at his words, and Sora's smile widened to a grin.

 

“I love you, mom.”

 

“I love you too, Sora.”

 

~

 

On top of Sora, Riku couldn’t stop thinking about Kairi as well - and the fact that they were now apparently a couple. That’s what happened after people who liked each other kissed for the first time, right? He was new to this, so Riku was completely unaware of how to navigate the dating scene. He wasn’t sure how to behave now as her boyfriend instead of just “best friend”. It was endearing, to Kairi at least, when he expressed this concern to her. Did that mean taking her out more? Stuff like pulling her chair out for her? Holding doors for her? Holding hands? More kissing? Kairi affectionately assured him nothing would change between them, except for perhaps the latter two, and that soothed Riku’s anxiety some.

 

The others were happy for them, at least; when they were told, Selphie squeaked with joy and hugged them both, and Tidus and Wakka each clapped Riku on the back in a congratulatory manner. It was nice to know their friends were behind the idea of them together and supported it no matter what.

 

Day two of their newly formed relationship was the day of a beautiful Saturday; that morning brought nothing but sunshine and a light breeze. Riku brought Kairi to a beachside restaurant for lunch, and afterwards they went for a stroll along the boardwalk. The weather was still nice, not a cloud in the sky, and Riku decided that after their date he was going to go fishing again. 5:00 came around, and the sky was still cloudless. Perfect.

 

With a kiss on the cheek from Kairi, he set out to find a good fishing spot, and ended up going further out then usual; his curiosity at hopefully meeting Sora again got the best of him. When Riku was out on the open water, he took his new net and cast it over before waiting - both to see what he would catch, and to see if Sora would recognize the boat and come to him. Forty-five minutes passed, and all Riku had caught was fish. Just as he was about to give up and turn the boat around to go back with his catch, he looked up to notice, to his surprise, black clouds advancing in the distance. The weather had been gorgeous just less than an hour ago; the storm was unexpected. Well. It was summer, after all, and they’d all been waiting for the first storm of the season; he just hadn’t anticipated the storm coming today. At the very least, no one had bothered to warn him the weather might change. All he knew in that moment was he had to get back to the mainland before he got caught in it.

 

Riku turned the boat around and started to head back, hoping the storm wouldn’t overtake him and that he would make it home in time. Five minutes passed, and as the sky began to get darker Riku began to get more anxious as he made his way back to the island. Soon enough, the sky overhead was a dark grey, and lightning flashed above his head. Water splashed into the boat, the waves getting choppier and more and more dangerous to navigate, and Riku swore out loud as the boat was rocked side to side. If he didn’t make it back in time -

 

Just like before, Sora wasn’t expecting to find any fishing boats out this far away from the mainland. Not with the weather slowly getting worse. The sky was blackening, storm clouds slowly advancing towards the islands, and he was sure the islanders were cautious enough to stay in their respective homes to wait the storm out. That was, of course, until he realized there was a single boat making its way back from being out on the open water, and when he peered his head above the choppy waves he realized with a shock that it was a _familiar_ boat. It was _Riku’s_ boat - and Riku was by himself this time. Terror at the thought of Riku getting stuck in the storm struck Sora, and after a moment of trying to decide whether or not to intervene he swam over to try and warn Riku to get home as quickly as possible - even help push the boat if he needed to.

 

The waves were getting bigger, climbing higher now, and Riku was doing his best to steer the boat even as they crashed over the side and into the boat’s interior. Water was around his ankles now, and he was cursing to himself as he tried not to let panic seize him. He had to stay calm if he was going to make it home, if he was going to make it out of the way of the storm -

 

Sora got close enough, but when he tried to call Riku’s name his voice was drowned out by the sound of the storm. That, and Riku was concentrated on steering the boat even as -

 

A tall wave overtook the boat, tipping it over, and Sora saw Riku clinging to the helm wheel before he slipped, and as the boat capsized Sora yelled Riku’s name again -

 

Riku looked up just in time to see the wave climbing overhead, and his eyes widened in horror just as the boat was capsized, and even as he gripped the wheel tight his fingers slipped - his body was jerked, and his head hit the side of the boat, and he went under -

 

“RIKU!” Sora yelled a third time, watching the other boy get knocked unconscious and slip into the water as the boat tipped upside down, and he dove beneath the waves to go after him. He couldn’t let Riku drown; human or not, Riku had spared him before, and Sora did not have it in himself to ignore that it was now a life-for-a-life debt. He swam over to find Riku’s body sinking beneath the water, and as Sora dodged the boat he grabbed Riku’s shirt and tugged him close and up to the surface, hugging the other to his chest and kicking his tail to beat against the now raging waves in order to swim towards the shore. _Come on, Riku, stay with me,_ he thought to himself as he swam against the current, keeping both their heads above the waves. _I’ve got you. Stay with me…_

 

They made it to shore, a safe cove just a little ways off from the mainland, and Sora swam over to the beach to push Riku’s body up onto the sand. “Riku. Riku!” The other boy was still unconscious, and Sora laid himself out beside Riku to put his head to his chest. Riku’s breathing was shallow, and Sora realized he might have swallowed seawater. He turned Riku onto his side, and Riku was still for a moment before jerking and coughing up water. Sora felt relief wash over him; Riku wasn’t going to die now, at least not on Sora’s watch, and he turned Riku onto his back again after he was finished coughing. Riku weakly opened his eyes, looking up at Sora, and he lifted his head just long enough to mutter Sora’s name quietly, questioningly, before he slipped back into unconsciousness.

 

Sora was tempted to leave him there, let him lay there far enough up on the sand that the waves couldn’t touch him, but a part of him also realized that if anything else happened to Riku while he was away, it would be on his conscience forever and he could not, _would not_ , live with himself for it. He decided to stay there with Riku until the other woke up.

 

So stay with him he did, waiting out the storm and looking back and forth between the ocean and occasionally Riku to make sure the other was still breathing. He was, to Sora’s relief, and the storm lasted a good hour longer until it was finally over, and sunlight broke through the clouds at last. With the sun shining down on both of them, Sora finally stared at Riku long enough to actually take in his appearance this up close. They hadn’t even been this physically close to each other last time they’d met face to face, and as Sora took in Riku’s looks he realized just how handsome the other boy was. Oh. Oh, no. He couldn’t afford to begin thinking along those lines. It just wasn’t logical. Not for his kind, at least. But… then again, Sora had spent quite a portion of his life watching, and admiring, Riku from afar - and Kairi, too, for that matter - long before he’d actually met them, even if it had been on accident. So what did that mean? For him having watched them both for so long? What did it mean now, that he realized he found Riku attractive, and Kairi pretty as well? Sora frowned at the idea. _You cut that out right now,_ he thought to himself. _They’d never find you the same way. You’re too different from them. You’re not human, and it’ll never happen, even if you want it to._ It hurt just to think, and he looked back down at Riku. There was hair in his eyes, and Sora was struck by the urge to brush it aside. He resisted the temptation at first, but then finally caved and gently moved it out of the way. Riku, thankfully, did not wake up and get upset at Sora for touching him.

 

Five more minutes passed, and Riku finally opened his eyes for good, blinking up at Sora in confusion as he slowly sat up. His head was killing him, he felt dizzy, and seeing Sora there with the sunshine around them after he remembered the storm hitting was just… confusing. “Sora?” He said hoarsely, and Sora smiled at him, looking relieved.

 

“Hey. You okay?”

 

“I think so? I’m alive. Um. What… what happened?”

 

“There was a storm, an hour ago. You were tossed overboard, and I saved you by bringing you here.” Sora gestured to the beach around them.

 

“Here…?” Riku glanced around, realizing this was the same cove that he and Kairi had visited together, and he looked back at Sora. “I - thank you.” A pause, and then his eyes widened. “My boat-! Sora, what happened to my boat!?”

 

“Whoa, whoa, calm down - I don’t know what happened to your boat, I was more focused on getting you to shore, I -”

 

“Oh shit, if the boat’s missing, or damaged, or both, I can’t get home-”

 

“Riku. Take a deep breath,” Sora said gently, and Riku looked at him. “I can take you back to the mainland. But you need to relax, first. You hit your head before being tossed into the water, and I don’t know if you have a concussion or not. You need to take it easy. Okay? Please? For me?”

 

Riku looked uneasy, but he nodded finally before looking back out at the water. “Man, that storm came out of nowhere. The weather was just fine earlier… oh, no. Kairi and my dad, they must be worried-”

 

“I’m sure they are. But you’ll see them again when I take you home,” Sora told him.

 

“... Yeah,” Riku agreed, then glanced back to Sora. “Thank you again, for saving my life. You didn’t even have to, why did you?”

 

Sora’s ears turned red, and he scratched the back of his neck. “It’s nothing. I mean, you let me go the other day when you didn’t have to, and you could have captured me all the way and taken me on land, but you didn’t. So I just… figured I’d return the favor and save _you_.”

 

“Huh. I guess that’s fair.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Both boys smiled at each other, then, and Sora felt his heart beat heavily against his chest. Oh, shit. He was already falling for Riku. This? Was not good; it was bad enough he already kept Riku and Kairi a secret from his family and colony mates, on top of the many trips he’d taken to the surface - he didn’t need to throw a secret crush into the mix, as well. But it seemed that would be the case, and as the two sat there and talked some, as Sora got to know Riku more, he decided within that time that keeping that additional secret would be just as worth it.

 

7:30 rolled around, and Riku decided it was time to ask Sora to take him home. Sora was partially sad to bring an end to their time together, but as promised he agreed to take him back to the mainland. When they arrived back at the mainland the pair was grateful that the docks were empty and that there was no one else around to spot Sora. Once Riku had climbed one of the dock ladders and was safe on the land he glanced down at the water and gave Sora, who had his head poking above the waves, another smile. “Thanks again, Sora.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, Riku. I… I hope you can explain things to your dad without giving me away?” He asked, and Riku nodded.

 

“I’ll figure it out. I always do,” he said, and Sora gave a pleased nod.

 

“That’s good. And, uh, hey. Tell Kairi I said hi, will you?”

 

Riku grinned. “I will.”

 

“Thank you.” With a wave of his hand, Riku turned to walk home - leaving Sora to watch him go, only hoping he would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I go with a cliche Little Mermaid trope by having Sora rescue Riku from drowning in the storm? Sure I did. Did I have fun doing so? Absolutely. 
> 
> Also, I was simultaneously VERY tired while writing this chapter out, so I hope it sounds as good to the rest of you as I tried to make it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn that Riku is traumatized from the storm. Aina notices her son lost in thought over Riku and Kairi. And finally, the trio are reunited at the cove - where to his surprise, Sora is told of the new development in Riku and Kairi's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See if any of you can spot the meta in this chapter.

_There was nothing but pitch black darkness. Thunder, lightning, the electricity in the air around him. The waves were climbing higher and higher, tipping the boat, and Riku tried his best to steer it away from the highest wave before it crashed overhead - he was under the waves now, being dragged down, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see, he was choking on seawater, he was going to die-_

 

Riku jolted awake in bed, breathing ragged and sweat soaking his tank top. He sucked in a breath, heart pounding. A glance at the clock read _4:37 am_ , and he scrubbed a hand over his face. Damnit, it was going to take him a while to fall back asleep now…

 

~

 

“Riku?” Kairi knitted her brows together, peering at him closely, and he snapped out of his daze. It was the late afternoon of that same day, and they were sitting outside a cafe. “You okay? You've been quiet ever since the storm.” She sounded worried, and Riku mentally kicked himself for causing her concern.

 

“I'm fine. Sorry. Really, I'm okay. I'm just thinking about-” Riku lowered his voice, and looked around before mouthing the word “ _Sora_ ”. It had been five days since the storm had hit, and while Riku hadn't told his dad about how Sora was the reason he was still alive and breathing, Kairi of course, being the only other person to know about him, had gotten the full truth. “He seemed to just... come out of nowhere at just the right moment. I think I would have drowned if he hadn't have shown up then,” he said softly, just for the two of them to hear.

 

Kairi nodded, lacing her fingers through Riku's. “Do you remember seeing him before you woke up on the beach with him next to you?” She asked, her tone matching Riku's.

 

“No. That's the thing. I don't think he actually showed up until the boat capsized. That's my guess, at least - up until that point, I was waiting to see if I could spot him on the open water, and he wasn't to be found.”

 

“Weird. But it's a good thing he finally did show up. I hate to think of having lost you in that storm…”

 

“Hey.” Riku ran his thumb over Kairi's knuckles. “I'm still here. I'm okay.”

 

She met his gaze, and Kairi's frown deepened. “Riku… what you went through was traumatic. Are you - are you coping okay?”

 

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I'm fine, Kairi.” A lie. Truth be told, the reality that he would have drowned had Sora not been there terrified Riku, and had left him with nightmares, but he wasn't about to tell Kairi that. Not with her worrying now as it was.

 

“Okay. If you need to talk, I'm here.”

 

“I know.” He squeezed her hand gently. “And I'm glad.”

 

~

 

Ever since the storm, Aina had noticed that Sora was acting different. He seemed… distracted, and withdrawn, his thoughts evidently elsewhere, and she wondered what it was that was on his mind. She asked each of her other children if they knew what was going on with him, but as Sora was still keeping them in the dark as well about his having gotten involved with Riku and Kairi, none of them had answers for her. And any efforts to reach through to Sora himself were brushed off by him telling her he was “just going through some teen stuff”, and as that was the excuse he gave her more than once eventually Aina left it alone.

 

What was really going on was that Sora was keen to see Riku and Kairi again; he especially wanted to see how Riku was holding up after the storm.

 

The opportunity presented itself on a day when Sora was swimming in the bay of the cove he'd brought Riku to.

 

Deciding he needed a break, Riku “borrowed” his dad’s boat and took Kairi with him to their private spot. It wasn’t like he could do much else, after all; while _Way to the Dawn_ had been found, it had been damaged in the storm and was currently being repaired. So he had some time to kill in the meantime.

 

It would be just himself and Kairi, spending the afternoon swimming in the cove. Or so they thought.

 

Sora was doing just fine in the cove by himself, until he saw an unfamiliar boat approaching. He decided to keep his distance at _first_ \- and then he heard a splash, and from a little ways off saw a flash of red hair beneath the surface of the waves. Red hair that looked familiar. Kairi…? It _was_ Kairi, Sora realized as he stared from a distance. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a bikini top, and he watched her swim back to the surface, watched her paddle water for a moment before Sora heard another splash - and she was joined in the water a second later by Riku in a pair of swim trunks.

 

The pair circled each other before they linked hands, paddling water together next to the boat. It appeared to be just the two of them alone, to Sora’s relief, and he slowly swam over before stopping just a few yards away from them.

 

“Hey, guys,” he called, and the other two glanced over with surprised looks on their faces. ”Can I join you?”

 

“Sora!” Kairi’s face lit up when she realized it was him, and Riku nodded for him to come over. Glad they were welcoming him, Sora grinned and closed the remaining distance between them.

 

“Hi Kairi, hi Riku. How are you guys doing? Riku, how are you holding up after the storm?”

 

Riku hesitated for just a split second, glancing at Kairi before his gaze settled back on Sora. “I’ve been holding up,” he said plainly, and Sora tilted his head a bit.

 

“Really? I’m surprised you’re not traumatized, or anything. I know I would be if I had been in your shoes.” Riku looked uncomfortable, then, and Sora decided it was best of him to change the subject. “... The storm aside, how is summer going for you two?”

 

“It’s going well,” Kairi told him, and Riku nodded. “We, uh…” She blushed as her eyes flicked to Riku, and Riku noticed this and his expression almost immediately turned to a grin. “We got together.”

 

“Together…?” Sora looked between the two of them, visibly confused.

 

“Together-together.” Riku said, and realization dawned on Sora’s face - at the very same time he felt his heart sink in his chest.

 

“Oh. That’s… I’m happy for you two,” he told them, and Kairi beamed at him.

 

“Thank you. We’ve been friends ever since we were kids,” she said, and Sora nodded, though he felt a small stab of jealousy. He didn’t have any childhood friends of his own - just his siblings, whom he’d known his entire life. And while he loved them all, it wasn’t quite the same experience as growing up together without being related in any kind of way. He could only dream about what that was like. Perhaps in another life, some other version of himself had that luxury. On top of that, he now also realized that if Riku and Kairi were together, he stood even less of a chance than he did before.

 

Kairi looped her arms around Riku’s neck and kissed his cheek before looking over at Sora, her expression a happy one. “Do you have anyone special?” She asked him, and he blinked at the question.

 

“Uhh, no,” he said. “No, I don’t. Not yet, at least…” he trailed off, thoughts still lingering on the two of them. “But there is someone I think I like.”

 

“Ooh.” Kairi’s expression turned curious. “Who is it?”

 

He froze. What was he supposed to say? He couldn’t very well say to their faces that he had realized he liked them both. “... We only recently became friends, but I’ve grown up knowing them my whole life, like you two have with each other.” There. That was half of the truth; they didn’t need to know that it was them he’d spent a number of years admiring from afar.

 

“That’s so sweet! I bet they’re really nice.” Kairi looked happy for him, and Sora felt immediate guilt for lying to her and Riku’s faces - or at the very least, keeping the entire truth from them. But what could he do?

 

“They are,” he said softly, a hint of longing in his tone, and Riku clapped him on the shoulder.

 

“I think you should go for it, if you like them. It definitely helps to get a nudge in the right direction, if you ask me. Because Kairi and I received hints from our friends and family, and honestly? Without that I don’t think either one of us would have realized how we feel about each other. So give it a try, tell your friend how you feel. Follow your heart,” he told Sora, and Kairi nodded.

 

In that moment Sora had to suppress the urge to smack himself in the face at the irony in those words. Of course Riku would be telling him to go for it when he didn’t realize just who it was that Sora had feelings for; Sora doubted either of them would be as encouraging for him to follow his heart if they knew it was themselves he was pining after. “Maybe,” he said hesitantly. “I’ll think about it.”

 

“Well, you do that, and let us know how it goes if you do decide to tell them,” Riku said brightly, squeezing Sora’s shoulder encouragingly before letting go - and Sora found himself immediately wishing Riku’s hand would go back to where it had been, his bare skin tingling from where Riku’s fingers had brushed.

 

It was then and there, in that moment, that Sora realized just exactly how bad he had it for the two of them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Kairi's friendship with Sora develops even further. Gaku decides to let Riku in on a secret, and Sora goes missing.

After the reunion, Riku, Kairi, and Sora continued to meet at the cove at least twice a week. It was becoming more than just a private spot for Riku and Kairi, and more than just the spot Sora had rescued Riku; it became a sanctuary for the three of them, all together, to indulge in each other's company without the worry or threat of anyone else intruding.

 

Three weeks passed of them seeing Sora, and to both Kairi and Riku's delight they were slowly developing a closer and closer bond with him.

 

It was odd to Riku, at the same time, that they were actually getting to know a being like Sora. He was half-human in appearance, but he still belonged to a world not at all their own - and that alone was surreal to him.

 

For Kairi, it was like something out of a dream. Before they'd met Sora, she'd only imagined merpeople as what they used to be - mythical creatures, something out of a fairy tale book. Something you told fantasy stories about. But now they had an actual merman in their lives - and on top of that, they were becoming his best friends. Really, if she were to go back in time and tell her past self about any of it she was certain her younger counterpart would insist she was crazy, or at the very least messing with her.

 

When she expressed this to both Riku and Sora, Riku looked amused and Sora looked like he was contemplating what she was saying.

“You know, I've been meaning to ask you two: can you teach me about your culture? Like, what humans are like? Really like. All I know is what I've been told by my own kind - and if I'm honest, we're… kind of biased against you humans.” He gave the two a sheepish grin, and Kairi and Riku exchanged a look before glancing back at him.

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

“Anything you want me to,” Sora replied. And from that moment on, Riku and Kairi began teaching him about humans from a human perspective - and in exchange, Sora told them about his own people, their ways and their culture. It was a fair exchange… and the more Riku and Kairi learned about Sora other than what they already knew (which was very little), the more pleased they became to call themselves his friends.

 

If they were honest with themselves - and they both voiced this to each other, in private without Sora knowing - they were also beginning to realize they were both falling for him at the same time they still liked each other. This was unfortunate, however, Riku reasoned; there was no way Sora had the same feelings they had for him. It was probably unheard of for his kind, anyways - and on top of that, he'd told them that he already liked someone else. They just didn't stand a chance.

 

~

 

One day, after several weeks of them getting to know him, Sora didn't show at the time they usually met up. Riku and Kairi waited five minutes, then ten, then twenty. Soon half an hour had passed, thirty minutes then turning into forty-five, and Sora still had not shown up.

 

“He's never missed a day with us before,” Kairi told Riku as they sat on the beach, both looking a mixture of confused and anxious.

 

“... If he doesn't show up for another ten minutes, I say we head home,” Riku replied, idly tapping his index finger against his leg. “I mean - if he doesn't show, he doesn't show; and there's not much else to do.” He met Kairi's gaze then and knew that while they were both thinking it, neither of them wanted to voice the concerned question on their minds: had something happened to Sora?

 

An hour came to pass and as Sora still had not arrived, Riku and Kairi were forced to head back to the mainland without having seen him that day. On the way home, Riku glanced over at Kairi.

 

“You're worried about him.”

 

Kairi nodded. “You are, too.”

 

“Yeah.” Riku didn't bother denying it. “I'm sure he's just… busy, you know? Got held up by something else, and couldn't come find us in time.” He was only praying that was the case.

 

As soon as he and Kairi parted ways back on the main island, Riku went straight to his house to find- to his surprise - Gaku there, when Riku thought he was still out. “Dad? What are you doing home?”

 

“Riku.” Gaku turned to face his son, looking pleased. “It's time that I showed you something. You've been kept in the dark too long, now, and I discussed it with the others and we all think it's only fair that you're finally told the truth.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You'll see. Keep that on, we're going somewhere else,” he said as Riku began to take off his jacket.

 

“... Okay?” Riku shrugged his jacket back on and looked up at Gaku, curiosity piqued.

 

“It's about a half hour's drive… depending on how long it takes, we'll probably be back by the time it gets dark.”

 

“Depending on how long what takes?”

 

“You'll see,” Gaku said hurriedly as he moved to grab the car keys. “Now come on. The others are waiting.”

 

~

 

Sora woke up in the dark, a dull pain in his neck, and he didn't know where he was. The water tasted wrong; it tasted stale, not at all the familiar and fresh taste of ocean, and he felt confusion that quickly bled into panic when he realized that he could not move very much; wherever he was, it was a confined space, too tight, and he reached a hand out to feel - only to have his fingers brush against something smooth. Glass? Running his hand along that same surface, he turned and twisted only to discover that it surrounded him in four sections. Horror dawned on him at the same time realization did; he was in a _tank_.

 

But how had he gotten here, and where was he at all? Looking around, Sora's eyes adjusted to noticing that above him was a faintly glowing purplish-blue light, and that across from him was another tank with another being in it. Who..?

 

He tapped on the glass of his own tank, hoping to get their attention - and when they looked up, Sora felt his heart burst with a million emotions all at once.

  
It was Hakaru. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR ENDING THE CHAPTER ON A CLIFFHANGER


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakaru and Sora have their first conversation when reunited after all this time. Riku learns what it is that his father has been keeping secret from him for the past three years, and Sora is lulled into a false sense of betrayal.

“So where are we going?” Riku inquired, looking over at his father.

 

“You'll see,” Gaku answered. “We'll be there in five minutes or so.”

 

“...” Bored in the meantime, Riku turned to rest his head against the window, watching their surroundings. The sky had clouded over and it had started to rain, droplets pattering down against the windshield as they drove. Twenty minutes into the drive, Riku had lost recognition of where they were headed; Gaku had taken a turn down a street he did not know, and for the last ten minutes his curiosity as to where he was being taken had only been growing more and more.

 

Finally, after five more minutes as promised, they turned onto a new street leading to a back road, which led to an area closed off with a high chain link fence with several buildings behind it. Riku sat up in his seat. The buildings here were not only placed apart from the rest of the town they'd passed through, but also taller than - and didn't look like - any kind of civilian buildings he'd ever seen before in his life.

 

“Uh… dad? Where are we?”

 

After passing through a security zone Gaku parked the car and turned it off before turning to face his son. “Riku. Listen to me very closely. I'm about to show you something that no one else but a select few of us have ever seen before - and I cannot stress enough the importance that you not tell a single other soul. Hell, the only reason I'm allowed to see it, and quite possibly the only reason I'm allowed to be the one to show _you_ , is because I'm the one who discovered it in the first place. But no one else besides us, and the people in charge here, can know about what you're about to see. Do you understand?”

 

“... Yes…?”

 

“I need you to promise.”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Good. Now follow me.” Gaku got out of the car, and Riku hopped out of the passenger's side to follow him to a side door on the nearest building - a unit marked with a number _3_ \- and watched as Gaku punched in a code on the keypad. The door swung open, and Gaku gestured for Riku to go inside. “ It's safe, son, trust me.”

 

~

 

“Dad?” Sora questioned.

 

Recognition slowly dawned on Hakaru’s face. “Sora…?” His brows furrowed as he looked over at his son.

 

“Yes! It's me!” Sora placed his hands against the glass of his tank, smiling even as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Three years. _Three years_ since Hakaru had vanished, and Sora felt relief mixed with heartache washing over him at finally seeing his father again. “I found you…”

 

“What are you doing here?” Hakaru asked, and Sora frowned.

 

“I don't-”

 

“They caught you. Oh, gods, they caught you too-” 

 

“Who?” 

 

Hakaru looked angry, now, and that made Sora uneasy. “The humans, in the white coats. I can't believe they caught you… where is your mother? Your siblings? Are they safe?”

 

Sora thought for a moment. “I- I think so. I don't know what's going on...”

 

Hakaru's eyes narrowed. “The humans have an agenda. They're-”

 

He was cut off as a door opened, flooding the room in light and revealing two silhouettes in the doorway. “... second specimen is in here with the first,” a voice was saying as two people - a man and a woman - stepped into the room. “It’s the newest specimen since we brought the first one here three years ago. Hayakawa is on his way with his son as we speak, and the boy is going to be shown both specimens for the first time.” Sora went still, floating there in the tank as the woman who was speaking stopped in front of it to look at him. “Interesting… you’re younger than the other specimen. There has to be more of your kind, of all different ages, yes? You’re an entire species, and we’re only just tapping the surface of this discovery of you…” She trailed off, dark eyes peering closely at Sora - who only glared at her in return, and the woman chuckled. “I wonder if you put up as much of a fight when you were caught as the first specimen did.”

 

Truthfully, Sora did not remember being caught at all; the most recent thing he remembered was being on his way to meet with Riku and Kairi. And- oh… just as much as the idea of never seeing his family again hurt, it also ached to imagine that he might be trapped her forever without getting to see either Riku or Kairi for the rest of his life.

 

The woman who had been speaking turned to her companion, who was watching Sora just as closely. “Fascinating. If you look at both these specimens, they have the same eyes… do you think the others’ eyes are all the same color as well? Perhaps it’s a shared gene. Maybe these two are related - we’ll have to write that down, make it a hypothesis. Then we’ll test their DNA.”

 

Sora didn’t know what any of the latter meant, but none of it sounded pleasant - and he looked across the way to see his father scowling deeply at the humans. Somehow, as grim as their current situation looked, it was a comfort to at least be reunited with his father - even if it was in this way.

 

The two scientists finally turned to exit the room, closing the door behind them and engulfing both Sora and Hakaru in semi-darkness again, and Sora chewed his lip. “What are we going to do?”

 

“There’s… nothing we can do, my son.” Hakaru’s scowl softened into a look of defeat. “I’ve tried everything from fighting back, to attacking them, to attempting to break the glass of my tank. But it’s reinforced glass, difficult to so much as damage. And I believe we are as far away from the ocean as they can keep us. It is hopeless.” He looked at Sora, then, tired eyes moving over his son’s face, and he smiled sadly. “I have missed you all these past few years. I was beginning to believe I would never see any of you ever again. Your mother…”

 

“She’s doing well,” Sora told him, hoping to provide some sliver of comfort. “She misses you, too - we all do. We…” he trailed off. “We never gave up hope you would come home to us. I don’t think any of us could have ever dreamed you’d be trapped in a place like this.”

 

Hakaru’s smile turned even sadder. “I don’t think I would have ever imagined myself in such a scenario, either - and yet here we are.”

 

His father looked so broken in spirit that for a brief moment, Sora felt nothing but bitterness, rage, and hatred towards the humans who were responsible. He realized his mother had perhaps been right all along; these humans were dangerous beings, selfish and cruel for keeping his father here all these years. And he hated every one of them for it, for breaking Hakaru apart from his family.

 

~

 

Riku followed Gaku down a long hallway, unsure of where they were going or what he was about to see. Somehow, the building’s interior - the bright lights along the ceiling of the hall they were headed down, the white paint of the walls, all of it - didn’t make him feel any less comfortable. If anything, the design of it all made him wonder how anyone could work here without needing to take something for a headache.

 

They stopped in front of a bolted door, and Gaku turned to Riku. “Okay. Again, I want to remind you that you cannot tell anyone of what you’re about to see,” he told him, and Riku raised an eyebrow but nodded.

 

“I won’t.”

 

Gaku turned the bolt and opened the door, revealing a dimly lit room lined wall to wall with large tanks. He stepped inside, Riku following after him, and after Riku's eyes had adjusted to the lighting he realized just exactly what was _in_ two of thosesaid tanks.

 

The door opened and Sora looked up, ready to glare at the next person who walked in… and then he was struck by surprise and horror by who it actually was.

 

He almost blurted out Sora’s name in shock, but Riku glanced quickly at his dad and swallowed down the word. He couldn’t reveal their secret, couldn’t give away the fact that he already knew about Sora, and instead he played off his shock as genuine shock of discovering about him for the first time.

 

“Aren’t they amazing?” Gaku breathed, and Riku turned to look at the other wall - noticing what, or rather who, was in the tank opposite Sora’s. An adult male of Sora’s kind, broad shouldered and tall, and Riku suddenly remembered Sora having told him that his own father had gone missing - so this… this had to be Hakaru.

 

“How long have they been here?” Riku asked, turning to his father, and Gaku glanced at him.

 

“The younger specimen-” and Riku resisted the urge to frown at the word ‘specimen’, “arrived this morning. I caught the adult three years ago, and the men at this facility found out about it and had me bring him here.” That only confirmed the theory as to who the older “specimen” was, and Riku felt his heart break on both Hakaru and Sora’s behalf.

 

He felt guilty, too, somehow, as he met Sora’s gaze - even though none of this was his fault. _I’m sorry,_ he wanted to tell him. But he couldn’t with Gaku there. That would expose them, and somehow with things turning out as they were so far Riku didn’t believe that was the best idea.

 

As he and Riku locked eyes, Sora felt a stab of betrayal. Was Riku with the men in the white coats? He must have been, if he was here. Had he been lying to gain Sora’s trust all this time? Was Kairi in on it? For all Sora knew, she had to be if she and Riku were involved in each other.

  
_How dare you,_ Sora thought as he glared at the other boy, causing Riku to avert his gaze to the floor. _How dare you make me trust you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, the classic "there's a misunderstanding here" trope. I promise you all Sora won't stay mad at Riku for too long.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku voices his disapproval towards Sora and Hakaru's captivity. Meanwhile, the truth comes out as Sora reveals everything to his father.

“So what do you think, Riku?” Gaku asked once they had left the tank room. “Aren’t those creatures just _fascinating_? The older one, they've been studying him for a while now, and with him have reached a huge breakthrough in scientific research.”

 

What did Riku think? This was… horrifying. And wrong. The promise he'd made to Gaku to keep this place a secret was then disregarded in that moment as he felt a hint of disgust towards the scientists and researchers there at the facility. How could they look at beings like Sora and his father and not realize they had feelings? Thoughts? Autonomy? It was cruel; the mental image of Sora and Hakaru cramped in their respective tanks made him realize just how much it made them appear disparaged, and how uncomfortable it had to be for them both; a part of him felt rage swell up alongside the disgust. Sora and Hakaru were living, breathing beings, and they deserved better than the treatment they were receiving.  “I think they should be let go,” he said - earning himself a surprised look from Gaku. “They need the ocean. It’s their home.”

 

“Riku, this is huge…” Gaku glanced around anxiously before looking back at his son. “We’ve only barely scratched the surface when it comes to learning about their kind. If they’re let go now and released back into the wild, all that research goes to waste and we lose the opportunity to learn more about them.”

 

 _Good_ , Riku thought to himself; if this is how they, the humans, were going about this, then everything he already knew, the things he’d learned from Sora simply by befriending him, was better off undiscovered in this case by the rest of humanity. “... How was the younger one found?” He asked, worried for Sora’s wellbeing in that moment; Riku hoped they at least hadn’t hurt him when he’d been captured.

 

Gaku smiled. “I was with a research team this afternoon, and we got lucky finding him swimming just off the eastern shore of the island. He put up a struggle, though; if you looked close enough you could have seen the bruise on his neck from where we had to tranquilize him.”

 

They’d tranquilized him. God, that was even more horrifying to think of. _This is because of Kairi and I,_ he realized. _If we hadn’t have agreed to be meeting up with him again so many times, he would never have been on his way to see us and he would never have gotten caught. … We have to make it right. We have to do something._

 

~

 

“I can’t believe he lied to me.” Sora’s hands balled into fists at his sides. “I trusted him, and Riku led me to believe that he and Kairi were good people, that they were different from other humans-”

 

“Who are Riku and Kairi?” Hakaru asked, looking a mixture of confused and alarmed, and Sora paled.

 

“I…” he trailed off, looking like he was ready to cry - whether out of frustration, or heartbreak, or all of the above it was uncertain - and Sora breathed in before finally spilling to his father the secrets he’d been keeping his entire life. All of it came out: his trips to the surface, watching the humans from a distance, and finally Riku and Kairi - even his feelings for them. Hakaru listened without interrupting, and by the time Sora was finished, rather than relief at getting it all off his chest he felt only shame for having kept it all hidden from the rest of his family.

 

“...” Hakaru was quiet for a moment, and he looked over at Sora pensively.

 

“Say something, dad, please, anything - tell me you’re mad at me. Tell me I messed up.” Sora pleaded, both looking and sounding self-deprecatory.

 

If Hakaru had been angry at all, it was immediately drowned out by the heartbreak at his son’s demeanor. Sora was young, he had acted irrationally; but if anything now, he seemed to realize the gravity of what he’d done, of the consequences his actions had led to, and while it was a tragedy that said consequences had come to pass, they had also brought him and Hakaru together again. That had to be a silver lining in all of this.

 

“Look at me, Sora,” Hakaru said gently, and Sora met his father’s eyes. “I am not angry. Not at you. You made mistakes, went against your mother’s and my wishes. But you did not do so out of spite against us, but rather curiosity, and on top of that have learned from it all. For these reasons, I cannot hold any of it against you.”

 

“But I’m sorry-”

 

“I know you are, my son.” A beat, and he added a soft “And even if we never make it out of here, it pleases me to know you trust me enough to tell me the truth finally.” Sora nodded, still looking upset, and Hakaru smiled sadly. “You said you had begun to develop feelings for them both?”

 

“.. Yeah. I thought they were different. Better than the others. Kinder. But I guess I was wrong.”

 

“You let your emotions lead you. That is not a sin, Sora.”

 

“No, but it feels horrible when it’s lead me here.”

 

Hakaru nodded. “You’re wiser than you give yourself credit for. Remember that. Learning from one’s mistakes is part of growth and maturity.”

 

Sora nodded in return, then leaned his forehead against the tank glass. “I wish we could get out of here,” he murmured, closing his eyes at the feeling of the cool surface on his skin. He already wanted to see his mother and siblings again, tell them everything he’d told his father and beg them for their forgiveness. That was going to be the first thing he did if he and Hakaru ever made it out of captivity - which, given their current circumstances, did not seem very likely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was... a little more difficult for me to get out, as I began to write it after a really long and hard day at work while at the same time I began to feel sick.
> 
> And, as I promised, the misunderstanding between Sora and Riku will be resolved soon enough - and all will be well in due time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the middle of the night, Riku and Kairi sneak out together to free Sora and Hakaru.

Later that night, Kairi woke up to the sound of pebbles being tossed at the window next to her bed, and when she sat up and glanced out at the street below she saw Riku standing there. Surprised, she immediately opened her window.

 

“Riku?”

 

“Come outside, I need to talk to you,” he called, and she glanced back into her room to take a look at the time - _4:43 am_.  

 

“Does it have to be now?” She asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she looked back at her boyfriend. “It's the middle of the night…”

 

“It's about Sora.”

 

“...!” Kairi's eyes went wide, and she nodded quickly. “I'll be right down.” She shut the window and slid out of bed, quickly changing out of her pajamas and pulling on a t shirt and pair of jeans. She was quiet heading downstairs so as not to wake her parents, and she opened the door to find Riku holding a set of car keys. “What's going on?” She asked as she carefully shut the house door behind her.

 

“Sora's in trouble.”

 

“I- what? What do you mean he's in trouble?” She asked, looking both confused and worried, and Riku scowled.

 

“He's been caught.”

 

“Caught?!”

 

“Some scientists caught him yesterday morning - right when he was on his way to meet us. That's why he didn't show up. They're holding him at some research facility-”

 

“How do you know this?”

 

Riku paused. “My dad was with the scientists who caught him,” he murmured. “He brought me there, and Sora's not all I saw.”

 

“What else?”

 

“They have his dad, too.”

 

Kairi felt a stab of what was a mixture of shock, pity, and anger. “ _His dad_?”

 

“At least I'm assuming it's him. Sora did tell us his father went missing a few years ago. And there was an older merman there, being kept in the same room I saw Sora in. It only makes sense for it to be him.”

 

“So-” her gaze fell on the car keys in Riku's hand, and realization slowly dawned on her. “ _Oh_.”

 

“We're breaking them out. Tonight. I would say we’re taking my dad’s car, but they would recognize it- so we’re using his old van instead.”

 

Kairi turned her eyes up to Riku’s face, meeting his gaze in the streetlight. “Are you sure we won’t get caught?”

 

“It’s a risk we have to take,” he said. “Even if they have cameras, we’ll be wearing masks. Listen - Sora got captured because of us, and we have to save him. It’s the only way; if we don’t do something, no one will. We’re the only ones who can do this, Kairi. No one else but us knows about him, and it’s up to us to do the right thing.”

 

“You’re right.” Kairi nodded, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

 

Riku nodded in return, taking Kairi’s hand in his. “Let’s go,” he echoed.

 

The pair snuck back to Riku’s house, grabbing more supplies: a hammer - to break glass, Riku explained - a pair of masks to hide their faces, a bucket and several water bottles to keep Sora and Hakaru hydrated, and, as Riku’s mother had been an EMT before she and Gaku had divorced, a spare stretcher still kept away in the garage. All of this they packed away in the van before taking off, exchanging anxious glances as they drove off in the direction Riku remembered his father taking to the facility.

 

“Do you remember how to get in?” Kairi asked nervously, and Riku nodded.

 

“Yeah. I even remember the access code he entered to get into the building,” he told her, and she looked a little less anxious at that.

 

As they drove, Riku explained the plan to Kairi. If this went as smoothly as they hoped for it to, they could drive past the security zone - and by drive past, Riku really just meant drive through, as in _straight through_ \- get into building 3, break the glass of Sora and Hakaru’s tanks, and get them out of the building and back to the ocean before sunrise. … All of this in theory, of course; Riku had never in his life done anything as crazy or ambitious as this, and he had no idea how it would play out in reality. He only prayed they could pull this off. If they weren’t able to, and things went south… he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. No room for doubt. This would work. It had to. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if it didn’t.

 

After about half an hour of driving, they arrived at the facility and Riku slowed the van to a stop, he and Kairi staring straight ahead through the windshield at the looming buildings there before them. Somehow, the place looked bigger at night, ominous in a sense - which to Riku, was only fitting for the shady truth being kept inside. Who knew what else was being stored in that place besides Sora and his father? What other secrets were these people hiding? _What else were they capable of?_ The thought made his skin crawl, and Riku forced down his fear and turned to look at Kairi. “You ready?”

 

She met his gaze, looking scared but determined. “Yeah.”

 

“Let’s do this.” He put the van into drive, pressing down on the gas pedal to speed up as they advanced fast towards the chain link fence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... really, really sorry this chapter is so goddamn short. My brain up and died while writing it, and I'm frustrated with myself that I couldn't give the rest of you as much content in this one as you were possibly hoping for or anticipating. I'm also sorry it's posted a couple of days late in comparison to the previous chapters; work has been killing me lately, and as a result I've been really tired. 
> 
> I promise there will be more action in the next chapter, when Riku and Kairi continue to attempt to pull off this daring rescue.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Kairi break into the facility and find where Sora and Hakaru are being kept; Sora is hesitant to trust them again, but after a brief exchange amends are made through words and actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... really, really sorry this one took so long. But at long last, here is the newest chapter.

They crashed through, Riku's expression fixed in a determined scowl, and Kairi twisted around in her seat to glance back at the forced open fence. “Shit, Riku-”

 

“It's okay,” he told her, gripping the steering wheel tight enough his knuckles were turning white. “It's okay, Kairi. We'll be in and out.” He made a sharp turn as soon as he spotted building 3, the van sliding to a stop as Riku slammed on the brakes. “Alright. Let’s do this,” he repeated, turning to look at her, and the intensity in his eyes both scared and thrilled Kairi. They were here, there was no turning back now, they were going to rescue Sora and set him and his father free, and a part of Kairi ached at the thought of him ever having been captured in the first place.

 

She told herself they were doing the right thing. Sora had been caught because of them, and this was going to set things right.

 

The two of them each grabbed their masks and tugged them on over their faces before climbing out of the van, heading to the back to grab the stretcher and hammer.

 

“Follow my lead,” Riku told Kairi, and she nodded as she helped him roll the stretcher out of the back of the van and onto the ground. The pair made their way in between the buildings, pushing the stretcher towards the side entrance of building 3, and Riku cast a glance at Kairi before he punched in the keypad combination he remembered seeing his father use. The keypad beeped for a couple of seconds before the light turned green, and he grinned before turning the handle and pushing the door open. “Come on.” Riku stepped inside, holding the door for Kairi to follow suit with the stretcher.

 

“Which door was it?” Kairi asked once they were inside, her gaze searching the many doors along the hallway, and Riku narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember which one it had been. There were so many of them, he struggled to recall the correct one.

 

“... I think it was the next hallway after this one,” he said. “See that door down there at the end? I remember going through that one into another hall, and we can go from there.” Kairi glanced at him, hoping he was right, and she began to move after him as he took off down the hall. They made it to the end, going through the door, and Riku paused there to examine the next hallway. “Third door to the right,” he said, pointing. “The one that says ‘specimens exhibit’.”

 

Beneath her mask Kairi made a face at the implication of the word “specimens”, but she didn’t say anything and instead followed Riku, pushing the stretcher the rest of the way and stopping in front of the door. Where they both stood, Kairi and Riku exchanged a look before Riku took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door handle. “Here we go…”

 

Though he was still awake, Sora was not sure of what time it was; as he had been unconscious on the journey there, it was difficult to tell the hours of the day there in the room they were being kept in. He did not know whether it was morning, or noon, or nighttime. He didn’t even know how much time had passed since he had last seen the ocean. And that alone pained him, terrified him. The only solace he could find in his predicament was the company of his father; having Hakaru there was a comfort for Sora, a way for him to realize he wasn’t alone. Hakaru was still awake, too, watching his son with a furrowed brow and a mind full of concern for Sora’s wellbeing.

 

It wouldn’t be just the two of them for long, however; at one point Sora heard voices outside the door and tensed, preparing himself for more of the humans in white coats to arrive. He was shocked when the door opened and the two figures there pulled away the masks on their faces to reveal themselves as Riku and Kairi. Shock, that was soon replaced by anger.

 

“What are you two doing here?” He snapped, and at his tone Kairi looked a mixture of confused and hurt.

 

“We’re-” she glanced at Riku before looking back to Sora. “We’re here to help you…”

 

“Help me?” Sora scoffed. “You’re full of it, Kairi. I know you two are with the scientists. Riku was here earlier, with one of them.”

 

“Hey, wait a minute.” Riku frowned. “Don’t talk to her like that. We’re not- why would we be here saying we’re going to help you if we were with the scientists?”

 

“I don’t know,” Sora replied. “For all I know you two are tricking me. Tell me why you were here earlier, Riku.”

 

Riku paused, realizing what Sora was getting at; it must have looked bad, from Sora’s point of view, when Gaku had brought him there earlier that day. No wonder Sora had reason to believe Riku was with them - and by association, Kairi as well. “Sora, we’re not… I promise you we’re not with them.” He took a deep breath, trying to think of how to explain it all. “That was my dad. He… he was telling me he had a secret to show me; I swear I didn’t know about this place, about any of this at all - I didn’t even know you’d been captured - until my dad brought me here. And neither did Kairi. Neither of us have ever been to this place until now, okay?” He met Sora’s gaze, sincere and imploring, and Sora narrowed his eyes before looking at Kairi.

 

“Riku’s telling the truth, Sora,” she told him, just as earnest as Riku, and Sora hesitated before responding.

 

“If you’re both telling the truth, then what’s your plan? Just how exactly are you going to help us?”

 

Hakaru nodded at his son’s inquiry, looking just as curious and simultaneously cautious as his gaze roamed over the other two. “What do you two have in mind, exactly?”

 

Riku turned to face Hakaru, smiling at the older man as he went to the stretcher. “How thick is the glass on your tanks?” He asked, picking up the hammer and turning back to the other three while wielding it in his hands. “Because I bet you it doesn’t stand up easily to a hammer.”

 

Sora’s eyes widened as his gaze fell on the tool in Riku’s hands. “Are you serious?”

 

Riku’s smile turned to a grin. “If you have any other ideas, Sora, let me know. In the meantime, this will have to do.” He gestured for Sora to back up, and Sora did so. Kairi also backed up, and Riku lifted the hammer to take a swing at Sora’s tank. It hit the glass with a _crack_ , and at first did nothing but crack a small dent, and he swung again. A third time, and the glass splintered. Everyone else stared for a second before Riku took a fourth swing, then a fifth, and the glass broke, shattering and spilling water onto the floor. Sora came tumbling out with it, hitting the ground and snapping his head up to look at Riku and Kairi in shock. Hakaru, too, looked surprised and also mildly impressed as he watched the moment unfold. Riku dropped to a crouch next to Sora, putting his hand on the other’s shoulder. “You okay?” He asked, and Sora met his gaze.

 

“I think so,” he murmured. “But now what?”

 

“We’ve got you covered,” Riku told him. “Kairi, can you grab the stretcher?”

 

“I’m on it.” She wheeled it into the room, lowering it for Sora to crawl onto. Once he was settled, she nodded to Riku.

 

“Okay, now we’re gonna get you out of here, and take you outside to the van. Is that okay, Sora?” Riku asked, wanting to ensure he was comfortable and safe.

 

“... Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine with me.” Sora cast a glance in Hakaru’s direction, then, his brow furrowing. “Will you guys come back for my dad?”

 

Hakaru’s expression softened as he met his son’s gaze. “Sora-”

 

“I’m not leaving without you. We’ve been apart for too long.” The brunet’s tone was final, and Hakaru smiled, weary but proud.

 

“We’ll come back and get him once we get you in the van,” Riku said. “That’s a promise.”

 

“I’m holding you to that,” Sora told him, and Riku felt his chest tighten. He was determined to do right by Sora and his dad - if they could pull this off, that meant that Sora and Hakaru both would not only get to go home, but that Hakaru would get to see his family again. It would fix everything. He and Kairi pulled their masks back over their faces and together wheeled Sora back out into the hallway, making a beeline back towards the entrance.

 

Once they were back outside and by the van, they helped Sora into the back and Riku paused for a moment before looking at him. “I’m sorry,” he told him, and Sora blinked. “For… everything. For your dad getting taken from you. For you getting captured. And for you being led to think Kairi and I were in on it. We weren’t, but. I still feel guilty; if you hadn’t have been on your way to meet with us, you wouldn’t have been found out.”

 

Sora’s expression softened, warmth settling in his chest, and he reached to take Riku’s hand in his own. “I’m sorry, too, for accusing you and Kairi. For now, though, just focus on getting my dad out of here, too, and we’ll talk apologies later. Okay?” He smiled at the other boy, and Riku felt his cheeks heat up.

 

“Riku, we’ve gotta hurry, it’s almost six am,” Kairi called, and Riku tore his eyes away from Sora’s face to look over at her.

 

“Coming,” he told her, and he squeezed Sora’s hand before letting go. “We’ll be right back. Wait here.”

 

“I won’t go anywhere,” Sora promised, and he watched Riku hurry off to head back inside with Kairi. A part of him was anxious, hoping they could get Hakaru out safely, and after five or so minutes had passed Riku and Kairi came out with Hakaru on the stretcher. At the sight of them, all of the anxiety in Sora’s chest melted away and he grinned. “Come on, guys, we’re almost there-”

 

Riku and Kairi quickly wheeled Hakaru around to help him get into the back of the van, and after loading the stretcher inside Kairi climbed in with them. Riku shut the back doors with Kairi inside, headed around to the driver’s side, and climbed into the driver’s seat before quickly putting the van into reverse and driving away. They were almost there, like Sora had said, they were so _close_ to getting away.

 

They made it past the other buildings, past the opened fence, and every second that passed made Riku’s blood rush as he drove. The back of the van was a bit crowded with Sora, Hakaru, Kairi, and the stretcher, but none of them minded so much. Hakaru leaned his head against the wall of the van, eyes closed, relieved that he was finally going to see the ocean again after three years. They’d seemed longer than that, his time in the facility grueling; the scientists had done test after test, taken his blood, done x rays, and more. And now? Now he was going to be free at long last. He was going _home_. And with his son by his side, too. He opened his eyes to peer over at the other two. Kairi had her arms wrapped tightly around Sora with him leaning against her, anxious looks on both their faces as she held him, and Hakaru gave a soft expression at the look there on Sora’s face. He remembered Sora’s confession regarding his feelings for both Kairi and Riku, and a part of Hakaru was thrilled that it appeared evident that Kairi, at least, had the same feelings his son did. He didn’t know about Riku, but at least he knew now that Riku had a good heart and good intentions when it came to Sora.

 

They drove on for the next half hour or so, Sora falling asleep against Kairi as she continued to hold him close and gently stroked her fingers through his hair, and Hakaru felt himself relaxing more and more the further away they got from the facility.

 

Finally they arrived at the coast, Riku parking the van and hopping out to head around to the back. When he opened the doors, it was to find Kairi and Sora both asleep with Hakaru still awake, and the older man turned to look at Riku. “Where are we?” He asked warily, and Riku smiled.

 

“See for yourself,” he said, stepping to the side to let Hakaru look out past him - and Hakaru’s eyes widened when he saw the ocean there nearby.

 

“I- we’re…”

 

Riku grinned at Hakaru. “You and Sora are almost home. We just gotta get you both to the water. I’ll wake the other two up.” He leaned in, gently shaking Sora’s shoulder. “Hey. Sora.”

 

Sora roused awake, blinking sleepily up at Riku. “Wha-?”

 

“We’re at the shore.”

 

Sora’s eyes widened like his father’s had, and he craned his neck to peer past Riku. Sure enough, with the sun coming up he could see the water close by and hear the waves. “Riku… you did it. You and Kairi got us out, didn't you?” He looked up at the other boy, blue eyes tearing up, and Riku nodded.

 

“Yeah. Yeah we did, Sora. We just need to get you and your dad to the water, and you’re home…”

 

Sora prodded Kairi awake, and she looked up at the boys with bleary eyes. “Kairi.”

 

“Hmm?” She reached to rub at her eyes, yawning. “Did we get away safely?”

 

“Yes,” Riku told her. “And we’re at the ocean now. I need you to help me get Sora and Hakaru to the water.”

 

“Oh-!” Kairi looked more alert now, and nodded eagerly. “Of course.” She gently nudged Sora off of her, and he scooted over to let her get the stretcher out of the van. “Okay, who wants to go first?”

 

Sora looked at Hakaru. “You haven’t… you haven’t seen home in three years. You should be the one to go in the water first.”

 

Hakaru gave his son a small smile. “Thank you, Sora.”

 

“Of course.” Sora returned the smile with one of his own, and watched as Hakaru helped himself onto the stretcher for Kairi and Riku to take down to the water.

 

Riku lowered the stretcher for Hakaru, and Hakaru pushed himself onto the sand and then into the water. At long last, he was where he belonged, and he dove beneath the water to swim freely for a few moments before resurfacing, fixing Riku and Kairi with a grateful look. “Thank you both… truly, thank you…”

 

“It’s nothing,” Kairi told him, smiling softly. “It’s… it’s the least we can do.”

 

“What you two do not seem to understand is that a deed such as the one you have done does not go unnoticed.”

 

“Hmm.” Riku looked amused. “Sora told us something similar a couple of months ago, when we first met. Remember that, Kairi?”

 

“When he told us that we’d have good karma for having let him go when we accidentally caught him?” She laughed. “Yeah, I remember.”

 

“He was right. I believe you two will be rewarded for this, as well as for that particular deed of the past. You’re both good people, Riku and Kairi. I hope there are other humans with hearts as good as yours.” Hakaru told them.

 

After thanking him, Riku turned to go fetch Sora, and Kairi sat herself down on the sand. “Did you miss Sora over the past three years?” She asked Hakaru, and he nodded in earnest.

 

“There are many things I missed, my dear,” he said, and Kairi listened as he started. “My wife, Sora and his siblings. The taste of the ocean on my tongue. The warmth of the sun. The companionship of the others in our colony… all of it. Being held in that place… I cannot describe how taxing it was, physically, emotionally, mentally. My heart was heavy while I was in there, and it felt like a bad dream. But now that you and Riku have set myself and Sora free, I believe I can thrive again as a being. So again, I thank you.”

 

She smiled at him. “Again, it’s nothing. It was the right thing to do.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Riku and Sora arrived then, Riku helping Sora into the water, and Sora’s face lit up with joy as he swam circles around his father.

 

Riku sat himself down beside Kairi, who leaned her head against his shoulder, and together with Sora and Hakaru they watched the rest of the sunrise. Before long, after the sun had come up, Sora and Hakaru told them they were returning to the colony, and Riku realized he had to get himself and Kairi home before their parents all realized they were gone. So they said goodbye, Riku and Kairi feeling accomplished and Sora and Hakaru relieved at being home in the ocean again, and parted ways for the time being.

 

“I’m really happy we were able to get them out of there,” Kairi told Riku as they drove back to Riku’s house, and he gave her a sideways glance and a smile.

 

“Me, too. Not only that, we reunited Hakaru with the rest of his family. That has to count for something, right?”

 

“Absolutely.” She noted the look on his face, then, and smiled. “What else are you thinking about?”

 

“What they both told us about good karma. And how I noticed Sora sleeping against you. Do you think, Kairi, that… Sora might have feelings for us in return? Do you think we’ll be that kind of lucky?”

 

Kairi paused to think. “That’s some highly wishful thinking, Riku. But… I hope you’re right.” She chewed her lip in contemplation. “Can you imagine that? The three of us, not just you and I?”

 

Riku realized then the full implication, and he flushed. “I can now,” he said quietly, and Kairi laughed softly.

 

“I don’t know if there’s a term for that, or what that term would even be, but. It would be something, that’s for sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mental image of Kairi holding Sora was just... too cute to pass up. I legitimately wanted to include that tenderness between them, the protectiveness of Kairi and the sheer amount of trust Sora has in her (and Riku) even after everything. Plus, "Person A holding Person B close to them" is one of my favorite tropes, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to include it at any point in this fic.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Kairi finally see Sora again after two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I am so so so so sorry it took me so long to update. This might be the second to last chapter, so hang onto your seats and give me just a little bit longer to wrap things up with the plot :)

Despite their wishful thinking and their hopes having gone up, Riku and Kairi did not see Sora again for another couple of weeks; in fairness, they figured that he was taking caution and avoiding the surface world. This, the two understood - but it didn’t mean they didn’t miss him any less than they already had. 

 

The researchers at the lab facility were in a quandary over Sora and Hakaru having disappeared; luckily enough they hadn’t shown Gaku the security footage, otherwise Riku had a feeling his father, being the only one there who knew the van, would have already confronted him about it. All he was able to do was tell Riku that the two specimens had vanished, stolen ( _rescued_ , Riku thought to himself) in the night somehow by two masked strangers, to which Riku feigned shock and confusion - all the while feeling pride and relief that Sora and Hakaru were now safe. And gratitude as well towards Kairi, their brave Kairi; Riku had a feeling that he couldn’t have pulled off the heist alone by himself, and he was more than grateful that she’d agreed to join him. He didn’t think, as long as he was alive, that he would ever forget _sneaking into a secret research facility and rescuing two mermen._ And with Kairi of all people, too; she was more courageous than anyone gave her credit for - something which Riku admired in her as a person, truthfully. He cared about her so much, her and Sora both - they were both brave and selfless souls, and each in their own ways brought out the best in him. Kairi made him feel brave, and Sora? Sora had taught him so much he’d never known or been able to learn before as a human being. 

 

Now it seemed like their summer had flown by, and only a couple of weeks remained until it would be ending. Sometimes Riku marveled at the things they’d been through, the things they’d seen and done. And despite not seeing Sora again since the rescue, he and Kairi continued to go to the cove and spend time alone with each other. The pair wanted as much time to themselves as they could get before their summer came to a close and Riku and the other two boys started their last year of high school. Just two days before school started back up, Riku and Kairi found themselves on their private beach in the evening, watching the horizon, Kairi leaning her head against Riku’s shoulder and Riku with his arm draped around her. Neither of them said much, a silence mixed with both contentedness and sadness hanging in the air, and as Riku looked up at the sky his heart felt as heavy as the silence between them. 

 

“Kairi.” He finally spoke up after a long while.

 

She shifted to look up at him. “Mm?”

 

“Do you think… we’ll ever see Sora again?”

 

The redhead blinked, then paused for a moment before replying. “... I don’t know, Riku. It’s been a couple of weeks. And we haven’t heard anything from your dad, so. I doubt he’s been caught again. I think he’s just… playing it safe. But. I do miss him…”

 

Riku nodded, a solemn expression on his face. “I miss him, too. I hope he’s alright. His family, too, for that matter.”

 

“Yeah. I hope so, too.”

 

The two of them were quiet again for a moment before they heard a faint splash, and they both snapped their heads up to look in the direction the noise had come from. Riku climbed to his feet before helping Kairi to hers, then carefully approached the water. “Sora…?” He called out, cautiously, and was answered by another splash before an all too familiar face popped up above the waves. 

 

“Hey, guys.” Sora was grinning widely, practically beaming up at the pair, and Riku swore out loud before grinning back at him.

 

“Sora!” Kairi looked and sounded thrilled to see him, and she had to resist the urge to run into the water just to embrace him. “Oh my god! We missed you!”

 

The brunet looked sheepish, then, rubbing the back of his head with a cheesy smile. “Yeah, I um. I missed you both, too. I’m sorry I didn’t visit soo-”

 

“Save it.” Riku cut him off, looking relieved. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”

 

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine.” Sora beamed up at them again, before his smile faltered some as he met their gazes. “What about you two? After you rescued my dad and I, what happened?”

 

“Oh.” Riku cleared his throat. “Not… a whole lot, honestly. There were cameras, so we could have been recognized had we not been wearing our masks. And even if we had been discovered, I don’t think the scientists would be willing to admit they were foiled by a pair of teenagers. Because admitting that would mean coming out into the open with whatever bullshit they were trying to pull with their research on you and your dad, which would mean coming out into the open and revealing all their secrets to the public, as well as the authorities. And that’s a lot of red tape, and a whole lot of mess, so to speak, that I’m sure they wouldn’t be willing to deal with at all.” He sounded so proud and sure of himself that it made Sora’s chest swell with pride, too. “So yeah, nothing happened to me or Kairi. We’re not in trouble, Sora. We’re safe. And so are you, now. That’s all that matters.”

 

“That’s good.” Sora nodded. Then he looked uncertain about something, and chewed his lip before speaking back up. “Listen. Riku, Kairi. There’s… something I wanted to tell you both, before the summer ends and neither of us might see each other again for a long time.” He sounded nervous. “All of the stuff that’s happened these past couple of months, with us meeting, and becoming friends, and my dad and I being reunited. Um… the night before you broke us out of the facility, my dad and I had a long talk. And he made me realize something. I’m not a kid anymore, and neither are you guys. There’s a lot to be said about what we’ve all three been through this summer, both together and separately, and I just wanted to say… thank you, for everything.”

 

“Sora…” Kairi spoke up, but Sora held up his hand. 

 

“Hold on. I want to say something else, too, really quick. Um. All that time we were spending together before I got captured. I enjoyed it for a number of reasons. The biggest one being that I like you both.”

 

“Oh.” Kairi smiled after a few seconds. “We like you, too.” She replied, but Sora shook his head.

 

“No. I mean… I like you. _Like_ -like you. Again, both of you.”

 

Riku blinked, before he glanced from Sora to Kairi, then back at Sora. “What now?”

 

“Like I said,” Kairi started, still smiling, “we like you, too.”

 

It was Sora’s turn to blink, and echo Riku’s reaction of “what now?”

 

Kairi laughed, soft and light, before she knelt at the water’s edge and beckoned for Sora to come closer. “We,” she gestured between herself and Riku, “both like you. The same way you like us. And,” she reached her hand out to Sora as he swam closer, “we were both hoping we would be lucky enough that you felt the same way. Right, Riku?”

 

From where he was still standing behind her, Riku cleared his throat. “Uh-huh.” He didn’t sound uncertain or unearnest so much as he did nervous, and Sora turned his gaze to the other boy. 

 

“I see.” He swam close enough to touch his fingers to Kairi’s, and the present expression on his face could only be described as soft. “That’s… really nice to know, honestly.” He and Kairi laced their fingers together, and Sora felt his heart racing in his chest. “I, uh. I talked to my dad about the two of you. And then, when we made it back to the colony and the truth had to come out, my mom, as well. They both know I have feelings for you guys. And… they’re okay with the whole thing, if you can believe it. My mom was unsure at first, but my dad helped me ease her mind and she’s pretty lenient about it now. She’s actually hoping to meet you two, eventually.”

 

Kairi glanced up at Riku, who didn’t look as nervous as he had a moment ago. “I think that sounds nice.”

 

Riku nodded, smiling now as he moved to crouch beside Kairi and smile at Sora. “Yeah. The only problem is that school is starting back up soon for Kairi and I - in two days, as a matter of fact - and I’m not sure when we could arrange that. Besides,” he gave Sora an amused look. “You say your mom, but it’s really your siblings too, isn’t it?” 

 

Sora laughed. “Was I that transparent?”

“Come on, Sora. We’ve gotten to know each other by this point. You can’t fool us.” Riku shook his head, still amused. “Not that Kairi or I mind. It’s just that, like I said, we’ll be busy again with school soon and we might not have a whole lot of free time…” he trailed off.

 

“No worries, Riku.” Kairi spoke up. “We’ll figure it out. Sora, when can you get your parents and siblings to meet us here at the cove?”

 

“Um. Tomorrow, I think, around noon or so.” Sora looked excited, now. “Are you guys really wanting to meet them, too?”

 

Riku nodded a second time, this time speaking instead of Kairi. When he did, he sounded a little bolder this time. “Of course. I mean - Kairi and I like you. You like us. We might as well.” 

 

Sora met Riku’s gaze with a soft look in his eyes. “Yeah… that makes sense to me.”

 

Kairi squeezed Sora’s hand gently in her own, before she reached to take Riku’s hand in her other to pull it towards Sora as well. The older followed without protest, without complaint, and Sora did the same, the two boys finally linking their fingers together. The three held hands for a moment, Sora looking at their laced fingers before he looked up at the others’ faces.

 

“Hey, guys? Can I try something that I’ve never tried before - with anyone?” Kairi and Riku exchanged glances with each other before looking back to Sora, both of them giving him nods, and Sora took a deep breath. “Which one of you wants to go first?”

 

The other two looked confused for a moment, but Riku spoke up first. “I will.” 

 

Looking somewhat nervous, Sora started to lean in before he paused. “Um. Riku, can you close your eyes?” 

 

Now having a good idea of what it was Sora wanted to do, Riku did as asked, and Sora continued to lean in - and proceeded to tentatively press his lips to Riku’s. There was a brief pause, before Riku was kissing him back, and Sora felt like his breath was being stolen. When they finally broke away, Riku was flushed, and Sora was grinning madly. 

 

“Okay, Kairi, now you,” Riku murmured, reaching up to touch his fingers to his own lips - they were tingling now, and tasted like saltwater. _Sora_ tasted like saltwater. It was different than kissing Kairi. Sora was salty where Kairi was sweet. And it was different in other ways, too. Different, but… nice. Not nice, _wonderful_. And something he’d been wanting to do for a while, now.

 

Kairi wasted no time, and was immediately leaning in to meet Sora halfway for her kiss. She hummed against his lips, smiling into the gesture, and when they broke away Sora now looked flushed while she looked pleased with herself. 

 

“Wow.” He mumbled. Now having gotten to kiss both of them, Sora was looking at her dreamily - almost in a daze of sorts. 

 

“Uh-huh.” Kairi beamed at him. “Wow is right.”

 

Riku mumbled something, and both Sora and Kairi turned to him.

 

“What was that, Riku?” Kairi teased.

 

“IaskedSoraifIcouldkisshimagain,” Riku replied quickly, and after he realized what Riku was asking Sora did just that.

 

~

 

The trio stayed together until twilight had fallen, and the sky had painted itself an array of pinks and purples and reds. With the promise of getting to meet Sora’s mother and siblings the next day, Riku and Kairi said their goodnights to Sora, with more kisses being exchanged, before the pair made their way back to the main island.

 

Rather than going back to her house that same night, Kairi asked Riku if she could sleep at his place, and just like when they had been children, he didn’t have it in him to tell her no - nor did he want to; as they lay together in his bed, both of them in their respective sleep attire, both of them were too excited to actually sleep at first, and spent a good while whispering and giggling back and forth to each other about the events that had transpired earlier that evening. By the time 10:30 came around, though, they finally quieted down and eventually drifted off in each other’s arms, both of them dreaming of Sora.


End file.
